56 ' ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 62 



areas and the house fill. Pottery was mainly of the Foreman types, 

 but there was also much Over Focus pottei-y. Probably the cultural 

 position of the site is intermediate between the Monroe- Anderson Foci, 

 where Foreman Ware is frequent, and the Over Focus. Nonceramic 

 artifacts were not distinctive, but a fragment of copper and a long 

 bone object resembling an arctic snow beater are notable. These two 

 objects suggest trade with the north, and the arcliitecture of the 

 houses is remarkably similar to certain examples reported for the 

 northern Plateau. It seems suggestive that the Early Village people 

 of the Plains may have cultural ties not hitherto recognized. 



The third Smithsonian field party at work at the begmning of the 

 year was directed by Dr. Kobert L. Stephenson, assisted by Lee G. 

 Madison. With a crew of 10 men they had begun excavations on 

 June 19 of the previous year and continued work through August 31. 

 Most of the season was spent on excavations at the Potts Village site 

 (39C019) on the right bank of the Missouri River, just south of 

 Mobridge, S. Dak., in the Oahe Reservoir area. All or parts of seven 

 houses were excavated, the fortification ditch was tested in several 

 places, middens and cache pits were sampled, the entire stockade was 

 micovered, and the single loop bastion and two bastioned entrances 

 were completely excavated. 



This is the site of an early La Roche village that probably dates 

 from about the late 15th or early to middle 16th century. It is en- 

 tirely precontact, and no items of White origin were found in any 

 part of the excavations. The site consisted of the remains of about 

 30 circular earthlodges, grouped in a long, oval area along the edge 

 of the second terrace above the Missouri River. Within the village 

 11 houses, including a large ceremonial lodge, were encircled by a deep, 

 narrow fortification ditch and palisade. The ditch was 6 to 8 feet in 

 depth and 10 to 20 feet wide. The palisade was composed of upright 

 cedar, cottonwood, and oak posts set close together. A single large 

 loop bastion protected the north and west sides of the fortified area 

 and a steep bank protected the east and southeast sides (toward the 

 river). 



Arclfitectural details of the entrances to these fortified villages along 

 the Missouri River have not previously been determined. On the basis 

 of some evidence, simple overlapping lines of stockade posts with a 

 passageway between have been presumed. At the Potts site two 

 examples of a very distinctive entrance were clearly defined. In this 

 type of entrance the stockade line curved outward and tlien back in 

 toward the center of the fortified area to form a small loop bastion 

 about 10 feet in diameter, but with one side forming a straight line 

 of posts extending some 10 to 15 feet into the village. Parallel to the 

 straight line of posts was another similar line about 4 feet from it 



